How do you know the skillset you need to get promoted? Context matters, but I put together what I evaluate and what I use to help product leaders level up their product designers

CLAIM Area Skill Associate Intermediate Senior Lead
Communication Design Rationale Struggles to explain design decisions. Can explain design choices in familiar terms. Clearly connects design to user needs and product goals. Shapes conversations around design impact.
Communication Feedback (Giving) Avoids giving feedback or makes it personal. Shares feedback occasionally, not always helpful. Gives clear, helpful design feedback. Coaches others to give and receive critique productively.
Communication Feedback (Receiving) Gets defensive during critique sessions. Listens but takes feedback personally. Uses feedback to evolve work. Asks for feedback early to shape outcomes.
Communication Storytelling Talks about screens, not the story. Can walk through design flow. Builds compelling narratives around user journeys. Tells product stories that inspire action and buy-in.
Leadership Design Ownership Waits for tasks, needs direction. Takes ownership of assigned flows. Owns end-to-end experiences. Drives design across the product ecosystem.
Leadership Mentoring Not ready to support others. Shares tips with juniors occasionally. Regularly mentors others on design craft and thinking. Builds design culture through coaching and guidance.
Leadership Strategic Thinking Focuses on execution, avoids strategy. Joins strategy talks but doesn’t shape them. Brings design perspective to strategy decisions. Uses design to drive strategic differentiation.
Alignment Cross-functional Collaboration Sticks mostly to other designers. Works with PMs and engineers on specs. Drives alignment between design, product, and engineering. Aligns teams through shared understanding of experience.
Alignment Stakeholder Communication Avoids tough conversations. Shares updates when asked. Keeps stakeholders in the loop and engaged. Anticipates concerns and builds early buy-in.
Impact Thinking AI & Emerging Tech Doesn’t explore new tools or trends. Tries new tools but not embedded in process. Leverages AI and tech trends to improve workflow and design. Pioneers new methods and tools that set the bar for others.
Impact Thinking Customer Interviews Rarely talks to users, relies on secondhand info. Participates in interviews when invited. Leads interviews to uncover user needs and pain points. Builds continuous learning loops from direct user contact.
Impact Thinking Design Trade-offs Wants perfect solutions, avoids tough calls. Can choose between options with some support. Comfortably navigates trade-offs between user needs, tech, and business. Guides others in balancing vision with constraints.
Impact Thinking Measuring Impact Work stops at high-fidelity designs, outcomes are unchecked. Looks at outcomes if shared by others. Tracks outcomes of their design decisions. Defines success criteria and connects design to results.
Impact Thinking Outcome Focus Designs for features, not outcomes. Occasionally reflects on impact. Designs toward measurable user and business outcomes. Champions design metrics linked to real outcomes.
Impact Thinking Prioritization Waits for PMs or leads to prioritize. Suggests priorities based on design effort or value. Prioritizes based on user impact and business goals. Shapes priorities collaboratively across teams.
Impact Thinking User-Centered Problem Solving Focuses on aesthetics over needs. Balances user needs and interface patterns. Solves real user problems with clarity. Leads discovery and drives insight-driven design.
Methods & Craft Accessibility Unaware of accessibility standards. Follows basic accessibility rules. Designs inclusive experiences across devices and needs. Advocates and teaches accessibility practices.
Methods & Craft Design Systems Uses design system but often breaks consistency. Mostly follows guidelines. Contributes components or improves system. Shapes and evolves system for broader use.
Methods & Craft Intuitive Design Relies on patterns but users struggle. Designs flows that mostly make sense. Builds experiences users navigate without help. Crafts invisible UX that just works.
Methods & Craft Prototyping Avoids prototyping or uses static screens. Builds basic flows to show ideas. Uses prototypes to test and learn quickly. Rapidly prototypes at different fidelities to shape direction.
Methods & Craft System Thinking Sees design as a screen, not a system. Thinks in flows, but misses connections. Designs with reuse and scale in mind. Architects design ecosystems across the product.
Methods & Craft UX Design Follows patterns without questioning. Applies UX principles with some user insight. Designs intuitive, user-tested flows. Shapes complex experiences that feel simple.
Methods & Craft Visual Design Designs look inconsistent and unclear. Designs are clean but sometimes lack polish. Produces visually coherent, high-quality work. Sets the visual standard for the team or org.